Posted by The Black Knight on June 28, 2000 at 08:33:46:
Chapter 2
Three classes and four hours later Luke was beginning his fourth and final class of the evening. It was a small class with fourteen people in it, five young men and nine young women. He looked over the
roster for the class.
"I assume that everyone is here, so I won't bother with this thing. If you're not here it's your loss not mine. I already know this stuff, but you don't." Luke said.
One of the young women, an attractive raven haired young woman fresh out of high school, raised her hand.
"Yes Miss." Luke said.
"Kelly Nelson. Aren't you supposed to take a check of the people in your class for records?" the young woman asked.
"This is your first day here Miss Nelson, so why are already trying to get on my bad side?" Luke asked as he sat down on his desk.
Kelly winced and hunched over in her seat.
"I'm kidding Miss Nelson. This isn't high school, so I do expect you to do any work that I assign no matter how silly it sounds." Luke
said.
"What happens if we don't?" one of the young men blurted out.
"And you are?" Luke asked picking up the attendance sheet again.
"Shawn Valencia." he said.
"What happens Mister Valencia, is that you do not pass. That means you get to take the course again at your expense. Since I am the only professor who teaches this course that means you will be in
here again. Believe me I hate to see repeats." Luke said.
"Mister Drake." another one of the young women asked.
She was a short young woman with shoulder length light brown hair, an impish grin and big bright blue eyes. Luke kind of glared at her and she jerked back.
"For all practical purposes while we are in this room call me Luke. If anyone asks me about that I will deny it, because its against the policy of this fine establishment." Luke said sarcastically.
He looked down at his watch.
"Now I have had a long night, as I'm sure all of you have, so I'm going to let you go early. I do however expect you to read the first chapter of the text by the time we meet Wednesday." Luke said.
All of the students still sat looking at him.
"Ladies and gentlemen I believe that I asked you to leave." Luke said as he walked around his desk.
The students got up and began filing out of the classroom. One of the young women motioned for her friends to go on. She was a thin young woman with long curly brown hair and gentle blue eyes. She walked to Luke's desk as he looked down at some papers. Her lips turned up in a warm kind smile as she leaned on the desk.
"You want something?" Luke asked.
"Yes, I'm Charlotte Watson, but my friends call me Charli." she said.
"Is that all Charlotte?" he asked.
"Call me Charli. No, that's not all. I was just wondering how I would go about getting a job here at the college. This is my first day here and I really do need a job." Charli said.
"There are times when a woman with your looks wouldn't have to look for a job." Luke said.
"You haven't looked up at me since I came over here." Charli said.
"I noticed you in class, it was a little hard not to." Luke answered.
He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a piece of paper. He lay on the desk in front of her and looked up at her. Charli gasped as the door closed by itself.
"What's that?" Charli asked laying her hand on the paper.
"It's an application for a work-study position. Once it's filled out it is up to the Administration to hire you." Luke said.
Charli smiled as he walked around his desk.
"Why would an attractive young man like yourself waste his time teaching in an insignificant little place like this." Charli asked as
if she were almost in a daze.
Luke lay his right hand on her left cheek and moved close to her. He jerked back and walked to the window.
"What just happened?" Charli asked.
"It doesn't matter." Luke said.
Charli lay her hand on his shoulder.
"It does matter. Look, I know this has a hint of impropriety, but I don't mind if you don't." Charli said.
"Are you awake yet?" Luke asked.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Charli asked.
"Aside from the fact that I am your teacher and it could get me fired, I am not someone you want to get involved with. I'm not even someone you want to know." Luke said.
"But I do, that's the reason I wanted the job. I'm here on a scholarship, I don't really need the money." Charli said.
Luke kind of smiled.
"I'll see what I can do, but right now you'd better leave." Luke said.
Charli walked back to the door, opened it, and walked out. The young woman who had called Luke "Mister Drake" stood outside the door. She lay her hands on Charli's shoulders and slammed her into the wall.
"I would advise you to leave him alone Miss Watson. He's not a man to be taken lightly." the young woman said.
"Let me go." Charli gasped.
The young woman backed away.
"It's your neck, literally." she said.
Charli shook her head and ran down the hall.
"Do you think you scared her off?" Luke asked from the doorway.
"No not that one, she's too stubborn to run." she said.
"So what's your name this time?" Luke asked.
"Kimber Faulkner, but you can call me Kim." she answered.
"You heard that?" Luke asked.
"My hearing is as good as yours remember." Kim answered.
"Then why did you not hear me when I asked you to call me Luke some years ago?" Luke asked.
"I'm not supposed to know you, remember." Kim said.
"Did you know that Matty is here?" Luke asked.
"You know she's not really your type. I thought you liked a real young blonde about sixteen or a twenty year old red head." Kim said.
"Would you give that a rest, that was over two hundred years ago." Luke said.
"Seems like yesterday to me Luke." Kim said.
"You always did have a problem with the concept of time." Luke said.
"When you're immortal why worry about time? If you like her that much I could have Matty bring her downstairs and you could go ahead and get it out of your system." Kim said.
"No just leave her alone." Luke said.
"It would seem that Miss Watson struck a chord that no one else ever has. I didn't think that it was possible with you." Kim said.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked.
"Nothing. Where's Matty? I think she should be able to help me find a guy I'm looking for." Kim said.
"Really who is it?" Luke asked.
"A vampire named Donald. He's not really one of you, he feeds mainly on animals, but he has been known to feed on humans." Kim said.
"I don't know whether there are any of his kind are here, but I'll see what we can do." Luke said.
"'His kind', you sound like one of these foolish mortals always concerned about how a certain person looks or acts." Kim said.
Luke and Kim walked to the cafeteria. It was deserted except for Madeline and a few workers cleaning the place.
"What's she doing here?" Madeline asked.
"I'm a student here. Besides I'm looking for someone." Kim said.
"It is almost your time isn't it?" Madeline asked.
"That is beside the point Matty. Where can a find Donald?" Kim asked.
"He's downstairs with the others. I understand they brought in a couple of new girls tonight." Madeline said looking at Luke.
Madeline waved her hand toward one of the workers and he walked toward them. It was Leon.
"Kim Faulkner, this is Leon. He has a key to the first door and will escort both of you down if you wish." Madeline said.
The three of them went into the hall and down below the college. They went into the large meeting room that they had been in before. Several vampires stood around two tables in the middle of the room. None of them made any pretense to what they were and the two women strapped onto the tables were blatantly terrified. One of them was a red head and the other was Charlotte Watson. One of the men around
the table moved toward the red head. He lay one hand on her forehead and the other under her chin. She stiffened as he jerked her head back. The young woman squealed as his fangs dug into her throat. She
was dead in seconds.
"That, sir, is Donald. He's not really one of us, but he does tend to put on a good show." Leon said.
Luke led Leon and Kim toward the others, then pushed through them. Charli looked over as she saw him come into the circle.
"Luke help me. Please help me!" Charli cried.
Donald bent over her as Luke came up to him.
"She is mine. I caught her. If you want one, catch your own girl." Donald said.
He opened his mouth wide enough to show his fangs and moved toward Charli's throat. Charli stiffened as she felt his breath on her skin. Luke caught him by the throat and lifted him off the floor.
"You don't know me, so I will forgive you this one time. I will abide no one meddling in my affairs or laying their hands on my friends. That goes for the rest of you. If anyone touches this woman
they will answer to me." Luke said.
He pitched Donald back into the others with a look of disgust on his face. Donald pulled himself back to his feet and dusted himself off. He stepped back toward Luke.
"Big talk. The question is can you back it up?" Donald asked as he stood.
"If I have to, but I don't think you're that dumb." Luke said.
"You're not one of them. You can't be!" Charli gasped.
"I am. I have been since I was born." Luke said as he unfastened the leather straps that held Charli's wrists over her head.
"I will not let this go unchallenged, mister. She is mine by right." Donald said.
"By what right. You have no rights here. We let you stay for the amusement and nothing else." Madeline said.
One of the women stopped Donald from coming closer to Luke.
"Look at his ring Donald." she said frantically.
"What jewelry he wears does not concern me Gabby." Donald said.
Gabby was a small young woman with bright brown eyes, thin lips, and a very thin body. She had long brown hair and a cute innocent smile.
"That particular piece should." Kim said.
Donald looked down at Luke's right hand as Luke unfastened Charli's feet. On Luke's ring there was a crest, a six pointed star with a sword laying across a bow on the inside of the star.
"The crest of the House of Dracula." Donald said as he backed away a little.
"Congratulations, you're not entirely stupid. How did you intend to cover up the deaths of two college students in one night?" Luke asked.
"I did not think about it." Donald said.
"That's right, you didn't think. From now on, there will be no more murders. When you feed, you do so from what is brought here every day. We don't have to kill for our food any more, but there are some who insist on it." Luke paused and looked at Madeline, "It ends here." Luke said as he helped Charli to stand up.
"Noble speech brother, but they cannot deny their nature. They can't deny what they are any more than you can. Even now I feel how torn you are between killing that girl or sparing her life." Madeline said.
"What are we to do with her. She knows of us now. She cannot be allowed to live." Donald said.
"Knowing and proving are two different things." Luke said.
"She will not tell, because she knows there are those that would kill her if she did." Kim said.
"Who would kill her? You?" Donald asked.
"If necessary, yes." Kim answered.
"Now it seems that Miss Faulkner had some business with you Donald." Madeline said.
"Do we know each other?" Donald asked.
"No, but you met my sister. In fact you killed her." Kim said.
Madeline stepped back as Kim stepped toward Donald. Madeline looked toward Luke, but he shook his head. Kim put one hand on Donald's chin, the other hand on the back of his head, and kicked him in the
chest. Charli screamed as the vampire was literally decapitated before her eyes. Donald's body vanished and his head turned to dust in Kim's hands.
"You know, you've got a really nasty temper." Luke said.
"What would you do if someone killed your sister?" Kim asked.
"I would at least find a cleaner way to kill them." Luke answered looking down at the blood all over Kim's clothes.
"Would you hurry up and do what ever you're going to do. I really don't want to see any more of this." Charli said.
Luke turned her head so that she looked directly at him.
"Sleep." Luke said softly.
Madeline shook her head as Charli slumped against Luke.
"She is your responsibility Luke. I don't want to answer to him for her when he gets here." Madeline said.
"Him. Who are you talking about?" Kim asked.
"Him, as in the Count?" Luke asked.
"Yes. He's coming two weeks from now." Madeline said.
"Does he know that Van Helsing will be here?" Luke asked.
"That's part of the reason he is coming." Madeline said.